


Playing Dice

by misura



Category: Something Dark and Holy Series - Emily A. Duncan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Het, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27577898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "Do the words 'sharing is caring' mean anything to you?" (AU where Malachiasz and Marzenya have a chat)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 2
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2020





	Playing Dice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Assimbya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Assimbya/gifts).



Malachiasz sighed. _The things we do for love._ "Do the words 'sharing is caring' mean anything to you?"

_"Does the dragon see any need to share with the worm?"_

"Having never spoken to either a dragon or a worm, I really couldn't say. In fact, do dragons even exist anymore?"

 _"You are less than the dirt beneath my shoes,"_ Marzenya said.

"Gods wear shoes? Does that mean there's some sort of divine shoemaker? A saintly cobbler? Please, do go on, I'm utterly fascinated."

_"You think you're very clever and charming, don't you?"_

"I'd say that's less opinion and more fact," Malachiasz said.

_"I disagree."_

"Well, you're entitled to your opinion as I am to mine."

Marzenya remained silent.

Malachiasz wondered if he'd annoyed her too much already. He had to admit that he wouldn't exactly be crushed if this didn't work, if it ended up becoming a matter of her or him.

 _Well. I suppose I_ might _end up looking a bit squishy if things go_ really _wrong._

"Speaking of entitlement," he said, just in case she was still listening, "can we talk about Nadya?"

_"You are not even remotely worthy of her affection."_

He'd touched a sore spot there, Malachiasz judged. Not that that was unexpected, but it was nice to have confirmation, to have certainty that he had leverage here beyond the power he still hadn't quite worked out how to use.

"I don't disagree," he said. "Look at that, we're in agreement about something. Isn't that nice?"

_"You do not deserve to even grovel at her feet, licking her boots."_

Malachiasz considered mentioning that he'd done that once, actually, and Nadya had seemed to like it well enough, while he - _I have no objection to groveling and begging. I only object to doing it for beings pretending to be gods._ Somehow, he just didn't think Marzenya would understand.

"Do you have more in this vein, or can we move on with this conversation now?"

_"We have nothing to talk about, maggot."_

_So why did you bother showing up?_ Malachiasz forced himself to smile. Nadya would not have been fooled, but Marzenya - well, she didn't know him nearly as well.

Plus, as far as Malachiasz knew, she might not even be looking at him, as such.

"Instead of working against each other, why don't we team up? Unless I'm mistaken, we have at least some goals in common, and as you pointed out, we both love Nadya." Not quite what Marzenya had said, but close enough. "Why not spare her all that stress and anxiety of knowing we don't like each other?"

 _Why not give me more of a chance to make sure she likes me best?_ Malachiasz knew he was taking a bit of a gamble here. On the other hand, what did he have to lose? He doubted he'd been Marzenya's favorite person before today.

Fair enough, given that he didn't like her very much either. In fact, the term 'hating her guts' might apply, not that Malachiasz intended to say that out loud.

 _"What common goals?"_ Marzenya asked. Slowly. Reluctantly.

Malachiasz managed not to grin. _Got you!_ Sometimes, his brilliance frightened even himself.

Perhaps, he reflected as he considered how to play this, he might even go so far as to kill her last. Carefully cultivated, Marzenya might prove an excellent source of information on all the other gods - and of course there was also still her importance to Nadya to consider.


End file.
